It All Began in Wyoming in 1968
by Erowyny
Summary: Alice is an independent in a town left behind the times but still affected by them.  All is well enough until she cannot sleep, and sees shadows that move before her and watch her.  Such strange shadows herald the arrival of 11th Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Somewhere in Wyoming, Fall 1968

The general store smelt of food, soap and dust. So much dust in fact that it could be seen dancing in the late afternoon light. Tiny bits of skin and fabric and all the other wonderfully strange things that move in the air captured n the golden light, and Alice March frequently contemplated such things while doing her mundane chores like the weekly grocery shipping. The store was a bit cramped, the town and its desires outpacing what the original builder had anticipated decades before.

"Well Miss March, you're all set. 'You need any help out?" The portly owner smiled at Alice March with his apple cheeks and watery eyes. He was balding with a country man's comb over, wearing a faded flannel shirt in need of patching. Since his wife had passed away, it had been a long time since anyone had patched his clothes. On occasion the women's church group would get together and repair the clothes of the widowers in town. Alice regarded him not unkindly, she'd seen him nearly every week for her whole life, but she was a bit cross today, and answered him shortly.

"No thank you Mr. Dale." She tried to smile but knew it came out more like a grimace. Her own bristly attitude irritated her. "I'll be just fine."

"Now are you sure?" He asked, either not noticing or ignoring her sour mood.

"Yes I am, thank you." Alice responded crisply gathering the paper bags to either side of her. She kept reminding herself how well Mr. Dale and her father had gotten along, how long the Dales had been in this town, and other such reasons to lend this man a fair amount of respect. But of late Alice had been agitated, cranky, not able to sleep. Also there'd been this desire to run, to leave, put this town to her back and never see it again. It was an unnervingly insistent feeling, the desire to move or do something so strong it was like hiking in a sock full of burrs and just wanting to pull them off and scratch your ankles. However, some sort of family loyalty or honor held her here. So while the rest of the world was in turmoil and struggling through change, this town plodded along much in the same way it had since its creation. Alice wanted to believe that was comforting, and perhaps if she left knowing that the town plodded on its course it would comfort her, but while she was here, she felt stuck. Horribly aggravatingly stuck.

"Miss March," Mr. Dale wiped his forehead with a bandana, a nervous gesture not a necessary one. It was cool out, hardly warm enough to cause a sweat while standing still. Alice felt herself go rigid with anxiety as he continued. "Alice," uh-oh, he'd gone 'first name' on her. "You know we are all awfully worried about you. All 'lone on that big ole ranch, big property especially for one." Here it comes, "Especially since you're a woman and all. Why not get yourself a man? Or sell the land?"

Try to be civil, try to be polite she chanted to herself, "Thank you for your concern Mr. Dale. I'm doing quite well on my own. Besides, what with the war pulling our boys from home seven years ago, you know, slim pickings." She smiled, making her tone sound light, trying not to sound quite as frustrated as she felt.

"It's near been a year-"

"Have a good day."

"Now look here you! You need to do what's best for yourself!"

"Have a good day Mr. Dale. I'll see you next week." Alice turned on heel, and left the store the bell chiming noisily as she shoved the door open with her hip. She placed the groceries as quickly as she could on the passenger side of the cab of her truck. It was old enough to have personality, and certainly a bit older than her. As it roared to life and rattled out of town she tried to reason her way out of her dark mood. Really she'd just been becoming more and more withdrawn since, well since _that_ had happened. Try as she might she just didn't want to be around other people. It wasn't as if she didn't like them, then again maybe that was her problem, maybe she'd grown to hate people? She shook her head resolutely, no, she just was sad and frustrated; stressed out too.

Then there was the money. It seemed that whenever she did get around people all they did was worry over her finances. She was doing quite enough of that on her own, thank you. Perhaps she would have to sell some of the land, she'd already sold most of the cattle, let the farmhands go, a few other corners cut. But the funerals, bills, I.O.U's all sorts of costs has boiled out of the woodwork eating into whatever Ma and Pa had left behind in an instant. The truck rattled and coughed, Alice raised her eyebrows. "Please not a car to repair too." Sadly the truck was not on her side and it sputtered, hiccupped, and clunked to a halt barely giving Alice time to pull to the side of the road. After resting her head against the steering wheel for a moment she got out and pulled the hood up. She did a bit of poking around (growing up a farm-kid meant knowing the equipment) before deciding that there was something wrong with the fuel line. Knowing what might be wrong, and being able to do anything about it were two very different things. Alice also had misdiagnosed who knows how many problems with the tractor or the truck and felt anxious about causing more damage to the poor old thing.

Alice slammed the hood, and then patted the truck apologetically, if only she'd paid more attention to all this engine stuff when she was younger. The service station would just be closing, and the walk back to town was longer at this point than the walk home. She pulled a yellowed pad of paper and a chewed pencil from the glove compartment and jotted down a quick note to Sheriff Jase explaining the situation so he wouldn't think she'd just abandoned her truck, or that something bad had happened to her. Which was more likely as Jase knew everyone's car in and around town. She sorted the groceries leaving the heavy non-perishables behind and with a resolute set to her shoulders she started her trek home. Over her shoulder she reassured the truck she's be back for it, and it sat waiting.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had begun to set when she reached the fairly short driveway to her house. A Gothic Revival from the Sears catalog passed on through her mother's family. It was set further back from the road than most farm houses of the era because her Grandfather had liked the view from the slight ridge it was on far more than the lack of view closer to the road. It was a poor placement in the winter, but the rest of the year it was beautiful. The ranch was forty minutes by car from the town, and while her cowboy boots were made just for her, they really weren't walking shoes. She was so tired and irritated with her situation she didn't register the strange people moving about her property. When she did notice them it was with a start; they looked like something you'd see out of the corner of your eye. The things you saw and would glance over at quickly just to reassure yourself they weren't actually there. Only she was staring at them dead on, and they were still there. As if people were made out of shadows, their limbs were blurred, disorienting to look at closely.

Alice's skin crawled, she wished for her family's rifle, even if it was only loaded with rock salt. But it was in the house, and there was no getting past these 'people' without them noticing her. She knelt near a tree, they hadn't seen her yet, and placed the groceries leaning against the old cottonwood. Should she try to talk to them? Go back to town and get help? Or perhaps this was all her stress, guilt and anxiety manifesting itself? Yes, that was really the only logical explanation, therefore, she watched two of the shadows walk past each other; therefore logic had nothing to do with this situation. Besides, she'd never hallucinated before. The grass tickled and itched her leg, her heavy denim having ridden up, but she didn't dare scratch it.

"They're Plyosynth," said a soft voice next to Alice, a soft male voice with a British accent. Alice did her damnedest not scream or jump, but the man had scared the ever living daylights out of her. Instead she gasped and stared at him with eyes the size of saucers. She took in the stranger's appearance and had to wonder who anywhere near here dressed like that? So strange as if he'd fallen into a costume shop and staggered out hoping he passed for 'normal.' And that accent? No one around here had _that_ accent; also no man would dare have hair longer than a couple inches off his head. "Hunters, though what they're hunting I can't be sure." He continued as if Alice wasn't staring at him as though he had three heads. "I hope that they're just here on their own." He sounded highly doubtful of this point.

"Ply-ply-"

"Plyosinths, yes, hunters." He was watching them; Alice looked back at them as a few carefully seemed to be examining her chickens. Perhaps introducing herself would be a good place to start. It was a breath of normalcy and strange words like, Plyosynths and the fact that they were hunters were making her uncomfortable.

"I'm Alice March." she offered her hand while still watching the shadows move about her property.

"I'm the Doctor." He didn't offer his hand, instead he rubbed his chin, brow furrowed in concentration. Alice looked at her hand, then shrugged and looked back at the Plyosinths.

"Are you British?" Was that too forward for small talk? She was always bad at it, wanting to get to the point rather than talk about niceties, but she tried for her parents' sake. Her mother had had such high hopes for Alice and her prospects, but then her brother had died in the war and Alice had to help the ranch, there was no time for small talk.

"Maybe the British sound like me."

"Uh- oh." Alice couldn't really make sense of that one. "Well, so, Plyosynths, not really people I take it?"

"Not really at all, no." He glanced at her, which caused her to fidget. Something about that look didn't seem right, didn't seem human. She was overreacting, being paranoid. "I think these ones were sent by the Vilnox."

"Vilnox?" Now Alice stared at the stranger. Really, worrying over her own sanity while this man was talking about Plyosinths and Vilnox. "Sir, I may be a country girl, but really I'm no fool."

"Are you certain?" He was watching the scene before them. She was about to protest his question when he continued speaking. "The Plyosynths are often found by anomalies, places where great energies converge, or places where a great many people have lived and died."

"I don't know that there was much here before our house…"

"Who was here before you?"

"Well no one," she paused, and felt irritated and foolish. She knew times were rapidly changing and that people couldn't conveniently forget who had lived on this land before the Europeans had. "No, no, that's not right, the Indians were here."

"For centuries, living, dying, holding ceremonies; someone was here before you. This location is teaming with what the Plyosynths can sense and what the Vilnox love."

"Oh come now! What the Vilnox want?" She was not about to feed into this ridiculous story. Maybe he was just some greedy city-slicker and this was some sort of ploy to scare her into selling her land, or some other way of taking advantage of her. He was a slick one, strange words, odd clothing inappropriate for this area, and a fancy wealthy accent.

"The Vilnox take joy in feeding off of those who live near these anomalies."

"F-feed?" She scoffed, "What is there to eat out here? I have no more cattle, and it must be awful difficult to find anything substantial enough." She might as well prove to this city-slicker that she knew her land well enough not to be spooked out of it.

"That's why they have the Plyosynths."

"To hunt, yes?" She used her sweetest voice, a little too sticky and nice, like when trying to appease a child.

"Is this your house?" He was looking at her, which made her uncomfortable again. For all her false vibrato, the fact that he just didn't seem normal was something she couldn't shake. And how quickly he changed topics!

"Yes, but I'm not going to leave it." She felt her jaw set in a stubborn angle, and with great effort she returned his look. Oh she did not like looking him in the eye. "Whatever game you're trying to play, or trick you're trying to pull, I'm not selling this place for anything."

He looked shocked, then amused and that riled her. "I'm not buying, I'm here because there are Plyosynths, likely sent by Vilnox, and every living creature, particularly sentient ones, is in danger."

Alice glowered thinking this through, when she heard a sniff. Her glower turned into disgusted fascination as she realized an uncomfortably close plyosynth seemed to be getting their scent on the wind. The wind had changed. She tensed, leaning back, it had changed and they were no longer down wind. Also, she noticed unhappily, despite the failing light she knew one thing for certain now. The Shadows were definitely not human. "Can I get rid of whatever it is that they can smell? Whatever it is that the Vilnox want?"

"It's in your blood." The Doctor spoke barely above a whisper, also shifting his weight, watching the ever closer Plyosynth.

"So they can't get it from, oh I don't know, plants?" she was slowly shifting her crouch so her weight was more on her feet, noticing that the Doctor was already cautiously backing in a low crouch.

"Oh, they can, but they just prefer the hunt."

"What! But that's just-" she'd been too loud, but his statement had disgusted her so much. The plyosynth began to move quickly now, its motion was nauseating but she couldn't look away, it was mesmerizing to watch.

"Run!" the Doctor's voice seemed distant. "Run!" She was trying but all she'd been able to do was stand, her body refused to move, fear seemed to harden her joints. "RUN!" his voice was closer and suddenly she was pulled, her knees cracking and tripped over her own feet but didn't fall. The Doctor dragged her in his wake, and while her first steps were stumbling, once she got over her fear of the plyosynths' movements she had only a little trouble keeping up.

"They're not, they're not human! I mean obviously!" Alice gasped. The Doctor had let go of her hand now that he was certain she was following him. It made it much easier for her to keep up with him, which made her wonder why in all the monster movies the woman always clung to the hero. Surely it slowed them both down, maybe the woman was scared of being left behind?

They were running somewhere with some sort of intent, she refused to look to see how closely they were being followed. The Doctor glanced back a couple of times, and the fact that he didn't slow meant that those things must have still been too close for comfort. The cowboy boots continuously reminded her how inappropriate they were for all the activities of the day, the rawhide soles slipping on the grasses. She took the chance of not watching the ground for a little while to glance ahead of her, and there was something that had never been in the hay pasture before. If she hadn't been so out of breath she'd ask the Doctor what it was, because he seemed pretty confident about their destination. Alice had rarely run like this, as if she was gong to fall over, or her feet were going to come off.

Within a short amount of time they arrived at the thing in her hay field. She could not tell what color it was as only a dull light was left in the sky. It had windows, and said 'Police Box,' but it was small. Had Sheriff Jase placed it here? For what purpose? The Doctor had pulled a key from his pocket, Alice stood next to him gasping, she turned to look behind them and saw darkness darker than the surrounding air was rapidly approaching.

"This may be a shock to you," The Doctor was saying pulling Alice's attention back. Her eyes were getting quite the work out tonight, and if they could have gotten any bigger they would have. The Doctor had opened the door and a warm soft light streamed from the Police Box and into the grasses. He strode into the room, "You might want to come in, you'll be safer in here." Alice nodded, her mouth a bit agape, she followed and with shaky hands closed the door behind herself. Her mother had always been quite insistent on the shutting of doors, frequently telling Alice and her brother she did not want anyone to think she'd raised her children in a barn.

"It's it's-"

"Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Yes, yes." He seemed impatient heading to the center of the room and a control console, muttering to himself about the current situation.

"Oh, it is," she looked up into the ceiling which seemed to reach higher than the light could reach. "I was going to say beautiful." Pulling herself from her reverie she turned toward the Doctor. "What is it? Who are you?"

"This is the Tardis, and I am the Doctor."

"Okay," she stayed where she was but her stance became stubborn, projecting some of the frustration she was feeling. "Alright, _what_ are you?"

He looked across his Tardis at Alice. Her face still glistening with sweat, grasses stuck in her hair, and despite all she'd seen in a short amount of time she somehow was projecting an air of defiant confidence. He was a bit amused by her, but he really needed her to stop asking so many questions so he could figure out what to do about the Vilnox. "I'm just a Traveler."

"A human traveler?" She recalled her brother's dime-store novels, because this room seemed like something from from one of those books her father had so disapproved of.

"No. Now be quiet."

She nodded with an offended sniff, and he hoped that would be the last question for awhile. Alice moved quietly about the room, exploring inch after inch and quite quickly establishing that there were no trick mirrors. She also established that she definitely had not stepped down into the room, at least she didn't not recall stepping down. So how could this be possible? He really didn't seem right, not normal in the slightest. Perhaps he was as he claimed a non-human traveler. One thing for certain, she was very far from any other "human being" and there was no help anywhere near. Her house wasn't safe, and it seemed the Pysosinths couldn't get in here, so she most likely was, as he had said, safest here.

"How close is the nearest town?" He was frowning at the exterior monitor not at all pleased at the fact that the Tardis was now surrounded by Plyosynths.

"Pretty far by foot, and my truck broke down. It's about twenty miles."

"And the next closest?"

"It-it's more than fifty miles."

"They'll be safe for now."

"For now? But the town? It's not, well, those people aren't safe?" She heard herself becoming louder; more frantic but there was no stopping her voice.

"The Plyosynths will already have scouted it, if the Vilnox are coming, and you couldn't be found, the town is the best alternative."

"Then I need to go to the town, now." She turned to the door. "I'll run to town, maybe the McCleary's horses are out and about on the way."

"They are still out there." The Doctor watched Alice waiting for her reaction.

"Can they hurt me?" She did not look back at him, but clenched and unclenched her hands a few times.

"They can slow you down." His voice had a darkness to it, someone who knew too much, seen too much.

"I have to warn the other people, I'll take my chances." She sucked in a breath and let it out through her teeth preparing herself.

"I could take you there." The Docotor said softly.

Alice turned and looked to the Doctor a low light of hope flickering in her eyes. "You have a car?"

"Oh, I did at one point, but this," he gestured to the surrounding room. "Is much better, it can travel anywhere in an instant."

"Do not joke." Alice looked at him, tense and unhappy. What he said was impossible, too good to be true.

"You've seen Plyosynths and the inside of the Tardis, and that there is something called the Vilnox coming to attack your town, but you don't think that the Tardis can travel anywhere?" He had a slow smile curling his lips reminding Alice of the Cheshire cat more than anything else.

"You're going to help me?"

"I could."

"Please help me!" She couldn't help but smile, this hope was so exciting, so much potential.


	3. Chapter 3

As Alice and the Doctor had watched the Plyosynths move about Alice's property a Plyosynth had reported to its master a strange place where a fair amount of those who had lived near enough to the anomaly to absorb its energies were gathering. While Alice and the Doctor had discussed the Plyosynths in the yard before Alice's house, the town bar was about to receive its strangest guests ever. The bar was filled with men; farm hands and shopkeepers all gathering at the end of another day of work. There was one woman, Old Mabel, she served the drinks and food and men kept their hands to themselves around her. She had been around so long there was a joke that she's served their fathers.

It being such a quiet and rarely visited town it was no wonder that the entire bar went silent when the strangers entered. In fact they were the strangest people that had ever set foot in the town. Mabel sized them up, unearthly pale, blue black hair, and she couldn't place the gender. The strangest thing about the strangers was that they seemed to flicker; perhaps it was a trick of her old eyes. She had been meaning to ask her doctor about that, but she had hoped if she ignored it the problem would go away. Well, even though the strangers had made no move to take a seat, it was her responsibility to greet anyone that came into the bar and she'd do just that. Besides she was terribly curious about where these strange folks were from.

As she approached them one spoke, they had a strange thick accent, one that made the youngest man in the bar titter and cough around his cigarette.

"Good evening."

"Evening." The other stranger echoed and the youngster guffawed, a few of the other younger men laughed nervously. Mabel favored young Scott with a disapproving look and turned back to the strangers.

"We don't get many strangers 'round here." Mabel said conversationally. "What can I do you for?" The strangers simply stood looking around the bar, like one would look around the grocery store. Well that was an unnerving thought Mabel chided herself for judging a book by its cover, that wasn't terribly Christian of her.

"Oh you'll do just fine until we find those that live in the homestead North of here."

"North of here." The second shared, or was it the first now repeating the second?

"You mean the Marches?" Scott grinned smoke from his cigarette coming out of his nose, however he hunched his shoulders and looked chagrined as the rest of the bar who decided these strangers were too strange glared him into silence.

"March."

"March."

"You look here, we don't like how yer talking." One of the older gentlemen stood looking unflinchingly at the strangers, until one licked his lips at him. Mabel thought about hushing the patrons, trying to encourage kindness to these new comers, but she really did agree, she didn't like how they were talking.

"Shall we dine?"

"Dine."

Perhaps if it had been a bigger city or if other places were open later, but as it was no one heard the commotion that suddenly erupted in the bar.

Alice watched as with great flair the Doctor flipped switches and the center console glowed rose and fell and created a strange whirring noise. Just as suddenly the show stopped. "Alright, we're here."

"Here? In town?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Impossible." Even as she denied it she opened the door, not believing a word of it. "WHAT!" there was both shock and joy in her voice and she hurried onto the street at the end of town. A street still made of packed earth so the cattle could be driven through every year. The Doctor followed at a more sedate pace, watching Alice rush to the other side of the outside of Tardis and back around. "Well it sure as hell isn't internal combustion." She grinned brilliantly.

"Nope." He made popping noise as he finished the word. She looked at him for a few moments waiting for more explanation.

"Alright fine, keep your secrets." She started to the bar where she wagered she could talk to the most people at once. "You coming?" she asked over her shoulder. She hadn't been in such a good mood in she couldn't remember how long. It was marvelous, such exciting and terrifying events, and they had to have gotten to the town in time. It had been instantaneous!

"Yup." He made the popping noise again and closed the door to the Tardis behind him. Looking about the town, he felt it dread that often accompanied some of his adventures, something had already gone wrong. He hadn't been fast enough. Alice was pointing out a few key places, the town park, the library, the grocers and so forth, she was so happy, she completely believed in him already and he was letting her down. The town was spread out only a few houses close in, it was going to be hard to warn everyone.

"…And here's the bar, this will be the easiest way to contact the most people." She reached out her hand to open the door.

"Wait." The Doctor had tensed looking concerned. "What's that smell?"

"Smell?" Alice sniffed the air, she didn't notice anything off. Then again it was awfully quiet; she yanked the door open and hurried in.

"Why don't they ever wait?" the Doctor's jaw tightened as he entered the bar. Alice gasped hands covering her mouth. Everyone who had been in the bar was now dead. Alice turned toward the Doctor eyes glistening. He did not look away from the scene, instead he took note of the bodies, skin looking wrinkled like raisins, bodies contorted abused and mistreated in their last moments. This had to be the work of the Vilnox, what else could take so much pleasure in torturing and killing its prey?

"God, they're like vampires." It was all she could think of to say someway to make sense of something that had no sense. A sudden noise made Alice jump, the Doctor's eyes widened and looked to the sound. Scott, the young laughing man, rose from behind the counter, his skin grayish under his summer tan. He looked from the Doctor to Alice and back to the Doctor. Making a quick decision inspired by fear and adrenaline Scott saw the Doctor as a pale oddly dressed stranger.

"Scott! Thank God!" Alice took a step toward him. He recoiled raising an accusing finger.

"Her!" Scott found his voice, though it came out a croak. "She's the one you are looking for!" His voice broke as he directed this outburst to the Doctor. "That's the March girl!"

"March girl? What are you talking about?" Something tasted like cowardice or betrayal in Scott's words, and that unnerved Alice greatly. Besides all his shouting couldn't have been a good thing what with the Plyosinths and the Vilnox roaming about. But these thoughts couldn't compete with her thought of how could she repent for not arriving at the bar in time?

"So why did they leave you alive?" There was coldness in the Doctor's voice that Alice had not heard before, an analytical edge, like that reserved for a researcher trying to study something unpleasant. "Are you not from around here?"

Scott seemed to dislike the way in which the Doctor spoke to him. "Who's this?" He asked Alice, who looked away from him, feeling too shocked to deal with Scott and his fears. Her mind was still working through the situation, even if it seemed frozen to Scott's trauma and plight. Through a cold muddled cloud came a few thoughts and Alice murmured one out loud.

"It's because he's been to College, worked elsewhere in the summers. He hasn't been home long. That's the only reason." His education, his parents' dream that he'd leave this town had saved his skin this night. He had not been drafted because of a weak heart.

"What are you talking about?" Scott looked frantically from the two, both now strangers in his eyes. "Do you know what they are?" Scott stared with wide eyes at Alice. "You're terrible, it's like it's your fault! They were looking for you!"

Alice looked stricken, just as she'd thought. If the Plyosynths had found her, she'd be dead, not the town, right? Or not right? What had the Doctor said about the Vilnox? Oh, she wished she was a better listener! Always so caught in her own mind and thoughts, and here someone had told her something that important and-

"You'll be safe from them, won't you help?" The Doctor was saying to Scott. She'd been wandering, again but, but, she looked at the bar and around herself, and walked right outside barely registering Scott's answer.

"Help! Help? Have you seen them?" Already Scott was ducking behind the counter. The Doctor sighed, and turned on his heel, beating a hasty retreat, trying not to berate himself for taking too long to get here. He had taken too long figuring out what was going on, and now innocent lives had paid. There needed to be a plan B and he'd had to try to snap Alice out of her shock to see if with her knowledge of the town if she could help him come up with one.


	4. Chapter 4

"You could ask for help." He had to exercise patience he didn't feel, had to get past her sorrow and get her thinking, or else she'd be useless to him. Her back was too him and she stood a couple feet from the curb, hand resting on a truck. She was staring at her feet, a small pout on her lips, and eyes narrowed clearly working not to cry. She seemed surprised by the Doctor's presence.

"Oh," she looked about herelf as if seeing the town for the first time. "I'm sorry, it's just I mean, you've done a lot-"

"Stubborn and prideful, not a great combination in a human." he said.

She looked surprised at the Doctor, and then confused. "N-no."

"If you need help ask for it, don't expect it."

"I don't expect anything." She rounded on him, bristling at the suggestion. "I wasn't raised with such meager self-respect." Tears were streaked on her cheeks.

"Ask me." The Doctor smiled inside, victory. There was the pride, pride would at least temporarily fight off the trauma she was experiencing. Little did he know that while his plan had worked it kicked off Alice's inherently curious and suspicious brain.

"Ask you what?"

"For help."

She nearly snapped 'no,' nearly stormed off, but she thought about the Plyosynths, thought about the scene at the bar, could she stand another such scene, or one at each house she went to? Could saying 'no' cost more lives? With a heavy sigh, and dredging up her self-esteem she said, "Please help me." To her feet, but she said it. The Doctor smiled at her like a father to an apologetic child, he didn't see that she'd started pouting again, a trait she certainly should have outgrown nearly two decades ago, something she was unaware of doing.

"So Alice, how can we contact everyone in the town very quickly and get them to gather in one place?" He already thought he had the answer, but he needed her to lead the way. Besides what human didn't love a little bolster to the old self esteem? Besides this one was so very independent and prideful, it was cute.

Alice looked up at him with furrowed brows, looked down again, rubbed her arm, stopped and then, the Doctor practically saw the light bulb turn on, "The Air raid siren! Everyone will meet at the High School." She smiled to herself, quite pleased with her idea.

"Let's go then!" He somehow was following her while keeping stride with her. Never hesitating or nearly running into her when she had to make the few turns on their run to the sheriff's station.

"What will happen when they eat their fill?" She'd suddenly recalled some of what the Doctor had said, and the knowledge that the Vilnox would have come for the town whether or not Alice had been at home didn't exactly stop the guilt, it softened its edges a bit.

"They exist like the Plyosynths in between dimensions. They use the energy they absorb to fully manifest themselves in this dimension."

"That's bad, yes?"

"Oh yes, that's bad." He didn't seem at all winded by their ground eating slow jog. Where as even with all the ranch work Alice did, it was hard for her to talk and run at the same time. "You see, they love to hunt, and they'll come to this world and hunt until they are bored of the hunt."

"Lovely." The word came out a grumble, and she chose to keep silent for the rest of the run. It was just a couple of minutes, but she felt the panic brewing inside her. Where were the Vilnox, the Plyosynths? What had distracted them from town? As they walked up the steps her mouth dry and she gasping a bit the Doctor touched her shoulder, she looked confused, her hand on the door handle.

"Anyone you need to call?" He looked casually interested. A bit like a boss asking how you were doing, the question had good intent but lacked much sincerity.

"No, the siren will be enough, no one in particular I need to reach." She opened the door to the police station and looked about the florescent lit institutional green painted cinderblock room. "Sheriff Jase?" Jase was reading as he often did when he was on call during the late shift. He'd actually read some pretty great books, and was a big financial contributor to the library.

"Huh?" Jase looked up blinking a few times. "Alice? Who's this with you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Jase set his book down, stood and re-tucked the back of his shirt into his pants.

"Just the Doctor."

Alice could see this turning into a wild goose chase with names and who is who, and she really didn't feel there was time for it. "Jase, I'm sorry but, well, it's complicated."

"What is it Alice? What's bothering you?"

The Doctor pulled out a black badge holder and flipped it open, and Alice couldn't have been sure but it looked as though the badge inside declared the Doctor to be a member of the CIA and that his name was John Smith. John Smith? Well that seemed an awfully boring and normal name, it also seemed completely fake. After all why wouldn't the Doctor just say his name was John Smith if in fact it was? Maybe he just liked telling stories and was a great liar. Or worse, maybe he was in cahoots with someone, after all she hadn't seen a Vilnox, and the Plyosynths could just be smoke and mirrors, the newspapers were always warning of tricksters and how well they could make fake images. However, the men in the bar really were well and truly dead and the best solution seemed to Alice to be strength in numbers. Keeping a close eye on the Doctor seemed like an awfully good idea as well.

"I'm here due to an investigation of hostile beings attacking humans and livestock." The Doctor was saying as Alice was finishing her thoughts. He placed the holder in the inner pocket of his jacket, which Alice watched closely, she wanted a look at that paper, after having glanced at Jase, it clearly seemed legitimate. In part it had to be the Doctor's confidence; he said things in a way that brooked no argument, without sounding cruel. Alice had no doubt in her mind that there could be cruelty in that man, there was cruelty in every living creature somewhere, wasn't there?

"Now then, there hasn't been a cattle mutilation in a few months." Jase rubbed his head nervously holding his hat in his other hand awkwardly.

"Oh you can't possible mean-?" Alice looked with her mouth agape at the Doctor.

"Yes, well, not all but some."

"Incredible, how many times have they nearly gotten through?" How elaborate a story had been woven? That was what Alice really wanted to know.

"What is going on?" Jase's hat's brim did not handle its owner's anxieties well.

"The Vilnox." The Doctor said.

"Think something like a vampire," Alice ignored the Doctor's disapproving glance. "They need a sort of, uh, enzyme that is in the blood of the people here."

"In the simplest possible terms," The Doctor said. "In fact they consume all bodily fluids."

"Yuck." Both Alice and Jase commented.

"Wait," Jase looked at both of them. "You're serious?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied. "And we have no time to lose. Use the air raid siren to get everyone in town together."

"Well, I could use the siren, but why cause panic?" A slow smile crossed Jase's lips as a thought occurred to him. "Why don't I just head to the bar and grab the men?"

He set his hat on the desk next to his book and began to put on his worn out leather and sheerling jacket.

"Sheriff, I'm sorry, about that…"

"They're dead." The Doctor finished bluntly ignoring Alice's bug-eyed look that clearly broadcast she thought he was morbid.

"Oh Jesus," Jase sat back down. Trusting, caring, dreaming Jase had felt his heart break. Being a sheriff in a town like this had been a good job. Never any murders, occasionally there were DUI's but pretty much everyone kept an eye on each other. They took care of their own. "All of them?"

"Yes," Alice said mournfully.

"And there will be more deaths if we don't act quickly." The Doctor was watching Jase, willing him to rise to the cause. Jase nodded and flipped the switch for the siren. It started as a low soft groan then grew progressively louder. He also picked up a list and began calling houses to inform people to please hurry to the fallout shelter in the Junior/Senior High.

"You head out; Alice let the Principle know what's going on." Jase removed his hand from the receiver and began talking to the first person on the list who would call the next.

"Doctor?" Alice began in a low voice as she and the Doctor ran in a steady pace to the school. "Is it really a good idea to have all those people gather in one place?"

"Strength in numbers."

"Well yes, but, people in groups panic."

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that. After all these people survived the Great Depression and one or both of the World Wars, their children survived great inner turmoil in this counry. They're made of pretty stern stuff."

Alice mustered a bit of a smile, thinking of her own family. "Yeah, good point. Thanks by the way."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, thanks, for helping us. I mean you could just leave, that'd be easier, right? You have that mad contraption after all."

"Contraption?" He stopped running looking deeply wounded. "That's the Tardis she's-"

"Didn't you hear the 'thanks'?" Alice couldn't help but laugh a bit, she was further down the road and looked back at him. "I'm sorry I insulted your Tardis, I'll never do it again." She returned to their brisk pace, the Doctor next to her far quicker than she expected. The Junior-Senior High School had to serve not only their town but many people who lived well outside the city limits. There were already cars approaching the school and people heading to the front doors. The principal was standing outside directing people where to go.

"Miss March! I haven't seen you for quite awhile." The Principal looked pleased despite his clear apprehension about the emergency. He thrived in stressful situations and loved feeling in power, respected and all. "A shame I have to see you in bad circumstances. Do you think it's the Russians?"

"No it's not." The Doctor said watching the people hurrying into the school.

"Who's this?" He now smiled expectantly at Alice. "Your fiancé? Where did you meet him?"

"Oh, no! No, no," Alice shook her head and waved her hands in denial. "He's a friend, he came to help with this whole situation." However the Doctor had turned and disappeared into the crowd. "Doctor? Doctor!"

"Where is your expert?" Jase had just arrived and approached Alice and the principal.

"He was right here." Alice ran her hand through her hair, she had to keep an eye on that strange man. "I have to go."

"What'll I tell everyone?" The sheriff nodded at some of the people entering, looking more confident than he felt.

Alice chewed her lip, desperate to find out where the Doctor had gone, but unable to leave without helping out her neighbors. "Umm, oh! Tell them there's a gas leak or a hazardous spill on the highway. And that those strangers they may see are Russians, or robbers or something." She turned to leave, and then looked back at the principal and Jase. "Don't let ANY strangers in here, lock things up, hide in the shelter, and don't come out until morning. I'm sure we'll have fixed everything by then."

"Can that Doctor fellow do that? Stop them?"

"If he won't, I will, somehow."

"I ought to be going, not you." Jase looked stricken; the principal looked like he was much happier staying at his school and in control of this situation. He had no idea what Jase and Alice were talking about and didn't really care.

"You're needed here, no one is going to listen to me, but they'll believe you." She also thought about how the creatures wanted her more since she'd grown up practically on-top of the anomaly. "I'll make certain they won't come this way."

"Alice, you're a mad girl, but I think your folks would be mighty proud." Jase clapped her awkwardly on the shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

She started off at a slow jog. Where had the Doctor gone? Why had he left? Oh that annoyed her; she'd go to his ship, the TARDIS first. He'd likely gone there and would use his ship to get back to her house. About halfway back to the TARDIS she noticed them, the Plyosinths, skirting her field of vision surging in front of her and falling back. Alice started running flat out the Plyosinths keeping pace. At least they weren't hunting the townspeople she consoled herself with that meager comfort.

As the TARDIS came into sight, and was that the Doctor at the door, or a Plyosynth? One of the Plyosynths swiped an arm through her, cold chill swept her body and she staggered. A strangled cry escaped her lips, brought on a bit by shock, but more by frustration and annoyance that she couldn't go any faster. She tried to redouble her efforts, but all this running; she was pretty tired and hungry. Why was she always hungry at the least convenient times? This was her life at stake, she firmly reminded herself, her stomach growled sulkily in response. 'Don't let him leave, don't let him go!' She thought as hard as she could at the TARDIS. It felt so far, like a nightmare, like she was running in sand. The Plyosynths swiped at her again when she was nearer her goal so she stumbled and fell hard against the side of the Blue Box. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she lifted her arm to knock she was distracted by a slower, smoother movement from the corner of her eye.

"The March girl.

"March girl." The soft sickly sweet and accented voices of the Vilnox were unpleasantly close enough to how Alice imagined they'd sound, and when she looked at them, they also looked close enough to how she imagined they'd look. She took no pride in her correct guessing. After all imagining something that may have even inspired at least some vampire stories was hardly a ground breaking discovery.

"Vilnox," she breathed, leaning against the Tardis and looking over at them.

"Clever woman."

"Woman."

"So alone, where are your friends? Your family?" One crooned

"Your Family?" the other hissed with delight.

"My family is safe from you." She felt true relief in that thought.

"None are safe."

"Safe." They were moving closer to her, savoring each step, and the moment.

"They have gone where you can't." At least she hoped they couldn't.

"Dead and gone then." They were getting so close and Alice reflexively flattened herself as close to the Tardis as she could.

"Gone then."

There was a sudden light, brighter and more intense than ever could have imagined. She felt herself being pulled backwards which she didn't help much with as she stumbled and tripped over her own feet. The Vilnox were shrieking but were suddenly silent as a door was slammed.

"Why didn't you stay put?" The Doctor sounded angry.

"I can't see!" It really was all Alice could think about; she blinked her eyes uselessly and rubbed them to no effect.

"Light to stop the shadows." The Doctor was gone from her side, sounding more distant in the room, flipping switches preparing the Tardis to make a quick hop over to the March ranch. "Your eyesight will come back. You could have just stayed there with your neighbors it may have been safer. I didn't want to drag you any further into this than could possibly be helped."

Alice wiped at her incessant tears. "I'm sorry, I just, I have to help! Somehow!" She squeezed her eyes shut, felt stupid, she should have just stayed with the others. What could she do? Why was she so damn suspicious, she could trust him right? But why? What's stopping him from taking his magical machine to China and-

She felt cool dry hands on her face abruptly stopping her question chain. "Open your eyes." Alice complied only seeing various phases of light and dark, perhaps some color. "You want to help?"

"Yes!" she cried, "It's my town, right?" She wondered what the Doctor's thoughts were, his hands left her face, she felt him move away from her. It wasn't his town after all.

"We need to force the Vilnox to shift back to where they came from, trap them there."

"Tell me what to do." Alice said in the direction she'd heard the Doctor's voice had moved off to.

"You're still sweating from your run," the Doctor said, he sounded tired, resolved on some issue or another. "The Plyosynths will smell that. If there are any still around your house they'll inform the Vilnox. I just need a bit of time to fix up this," He moved something that sounded heavy and mostly metallic. "This will send them back through time and across the dimensions. It will seal up the anomaly pretty well too."

"Wow."

"Hmm?" He flipped a switch and the TARDIS whirred and hummed to life traveling right to where it needed to be.

"It's just amazing." Alice crouched on the balls of her feet her hands curled around her knees. "Everything is so much bigger and more complicated than I imagined. It-It's not all like them, right?"

"The Vilnox? No, no." He was rushing about; grabbing a flashlight, making sure his sonic screwdriver was present and accounted for, grabbing his 'Vilnox Vanquisher.' "Some things are far more terrible, some are far more wonderful."

"Th-the Vilnox, how do you know of them?"

"Well, being a traveler, I've seen a lot." He moved to the door. "C'mon, up you get." He helped her to her feet and placed the flashlight firmly in her hand. "All set?"

"Yes." She clutched the flashlight and held his hand as he led her from the TARDIS.

"Wait here, I won't be far off." He was about to leave when, "Oh! The flashlight, it should be enough to keep them away until I finish."

"Should be?" Alice waited but there was no response. "Hey Doc, should be!" she sighed, she still really couldn't see a blooming thing.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, the Vilnox where having one of their delightfully creepy conversations.

"Timelord?"

"Timelord."

"What a treat! So tasty, and what a hunt! I thought they were extinct."

"Extinct."

"He'll be trying to send us back, foolish creature. On to the house of March?"

"March."

As it turned out, much to Alice's frustration, the Vilnox had gotten to the ranch very quickly, and the flashlight didn't seem to have much effect on them. Her vision had returned just enough to inform her that they had arrived. The anxiety was nauseating. She really couldn't stand it, knowing death had come a calling.

"Oh for Pete's sake," she muttered. Alice chucked the flashlight at the pale blob she took for one of the Vilnox's heads. It had been, but the Vilnox simply phased itself, becoming less tangible and the flashlight while slowed proceeded on its coarse straight through his head.

"After we feast on you that would work."

"Would work." Tittered the repeater. Alice couldn't tell which one repeated which, or if they switched off. She began contemplating throwing a punch; her cousin from the big city had once tried to show her how. Anything to get free, getting herself killed or taken prisoner would really do no one any good at all.

"However, we can't feast yet," the Vilnox sulked.

"Yet."

"Your Timelord could send us back even after we have you."

"Have you."

"So we need you as leverage, and to gain access to one of the rarest dishes we'll ever have."

"_Ever _have."

"Eh? Timelord?" what on earth were these two talking about, the Doctor traveled through space, not time, right? And it was just as she feared, used as a damn bargaining chip. Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the Vilnox grasped her arm and she felt bile and fear rise in her, and despite her best efforts she swooned as the Vilnox laughed and dragged to where she could only assume the Doctor was. "Lemme go!" Alice muttered her hand passing through the arm repeatedly all the while she grew more annoyed by their ability to hold her and her inability to touch them. There had to be more than just fear debilitating her, as if their touch alone was draining, exhausting, and maybe that was exactly it.

The Doctor had lost track of time, it happens when you are a time traveler. He was caught up in perfecting his device; it was perfect of course. Once the Vilnox were close enough it'd send them back to where they'd come from, trap them, and seal up the anomaly, quite a lovely piece of work if he said so himself. "Ah-ha!" the last bit clicked into place and the machine chirped and hummed into life. He looked up smiling ready activate it, when his eyes fell on the Vilnox and Alice.

They intentionally caused Alice to stagger, tripping on her own feet. She still could barely see, but she'd heard the Doctor's triumphant, 'ah-ha!' and knew they had arrived. "Don't do anything too hasty." The one on her left said smoothly to the Doctor.

"Hasty," the one on the right agreed.

"Let her go." This was the exact situation the Doctor had hoped to avoid. Keep the girl away from himself and keep her safe, so he had hoped. He had also assumed the Vilnox would be so starved to have Timelord they'd forget the girl all together. He had assumed the Plyosinths would smell Alice, but that the Vilnox would not be able to resist a Timelord. However, they'd shown restraint that they were not known for, restraint and careful planning, the Doctor had underestimated them.

"I don't think so, we do that, and you send us back." This time the second remained silent, as if concerned the mimicry would be foreshadow to their doom.

"Send them back," Alice sounded drunk, words slurred, she didn't much care for that.

"You'll come with us then," said the first.

"With us then," supplied the second and they both leered.

"You let her go now, I'll help you go someplace else, I won't trap you back in the world you already drained." The Doctor was prepared to turn on his device, weighing his options, and didn't like them.

"No I don't think we'll agree to that."

"_That_." The one holding Alice twisted her arm painfully. Alice's mind blazed with clarity bolstered by the pain. She just had to yank her arms free, and the Doctor could send them back. She'd be fine, and the dawn would shine down on her normal ranch in the normal vastness of Wyoming. All her normal problems would return, and somehow despite all that happened tonight, everything would be alright. Her angry and terrified emotions gave her fuel and with a tiny cry she yanked her arms forward, tripped over her feet and started to fall backwards and away from the Vilnox. It would work perfectly, she cried, "Now Doctor!" feeling a Vilnox brush her arm and then seem to be snapped away. Alice hit the ground hard, the wind rushing from her lungs, bright light flashed through her lids, dimmed but not back to nighttime levels.

Had she really done it this time? Hit her head so hard she'd screwed up her optic nerve? And it was loud! She'd been a bit accident prone as a child, cracking her head open on a stone step, breaking her arm, a few other injuries. There was the late summer afternoon noise with birds and insects singing about the day. It had to be daytime, she gulped in a deep breath, her eyes, still mostly useless, shot open. The air smelled of fresh cut grass, not hay, but lawn grass. In fact as she ran her hand across it felt soft nearly plush and well watered. Not the jumble of weeds, timothy and crabgrass that occupied her own property.

"Doc?" she said at a conversational level. There was no response. "Doctor?" a little louder and still nothing. She cast about as best as her limited vision would allow and noted some shade that must have been created by a tree. She felt her way over and sat under the tree to wait for her sight to come back. No use panicking right now. Resolved to waiting it out, Alice lay on her back and decided to catch what little shut eye her anxiety would allow her exhausted body.

She rose out of a dream at a strange sound. Children laughing, she could see pretty darn well now, and looked about her. Alice found herself in a cul-de-sac; more trees and greener grass that she thought could thrive in her own home town. A few minutes later she learned part of the reason why as a sprinkler system hissed to life sending a startled and now lightly sodden Alice dashing from the shelter of the tree. They were all fairly young trees, and fairly new houses. They looked an awful lot alike with some effort having been placed in increasing their individuality. The houses were also much closer together than any ranch property that she could think of, and all the roads were paved, heck there were even paved paths next to the roads were paved. She was so shocked by the general appearance of the area that she didn't even have time to be thrilled at the full return of her eyesight.

Then there was the face looking at her, the face of one of the houses. A Gothic-Revival from the Sears catalog, painted up with nicer and fresher paint than she'd ever seen in her life time. Alice staggered toward the house stopping at a gold-leafed sign that proclaimed the land to be the, 'Historic March Homestead.' Alice made a strange noise, and turned to walk to town. It must have been near three-thirty or so since there were school buses dropping off kids, and it felt like late spring. Nearly June, Alice's thoughts murmured around her shock as if anxious about what would happen if they became too loud.

She reached the area where she must have had to abandon her truck and there was now a large asphalt parking lot for a clean and crisp shopping center. Dale's Fine Grocery had certainly grown, and there was also a Laundromat, a dentist's office and a few other things that hadn't been there last time Alice had. That had only been yesterday afternoon or something? Really it felt as if she hadn't slept in days, and aside from her nap, maybe she hadn't. Or maybe it'd been years?

She kept walking, in a daze, town felt even further now that there was more of it, and after she walked and walked her feet getting sore on the cement she reached the old town's center. Really her cowboy boots weren't cut out for this kind of use, she felt very sorry for them and the abuse they were suffering, like she'd kicked a puppy. The town looked ready for tourists, not the comfortable worn out feeling she was accustomed to. The bar was now the town museum, and in front of it was a memorial. It was a simple marble block with the names of those who had died in the bar in 1968. Alice ran her fingers over her own name. She was dead.


End file.
